MAFAR4200 Patient-Centered Treatment and Health Literacy Course description

This course will give the students the competence to contribute to patient-centred pharmacological treatment focusing on vulnerable patient groups such as children and young people, pregnant women, older people and the chronically ill. The course covers issues such as pharmacological variatibility (pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics), aspects of patient safety and individualised treatment with therapeutic drug monitoring. The course also addresses the use of pharmacogenetic analyses, complex pharmacotherapy, compatibility and administration of pharmaceuticals given intravenously and the use of radioactive preparations. The course will give the student an understanding of health literacy. The relationship between health economic principles and rational use of pharmaceuticals will be an important topic, in addition to management and various leadership roles in pharmaceutical enterprises.

The student must have been admitted to the study programme.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence: 

Knowledge 

The student 

• can critically assess the effects, adverse effects and use of pharmaceuticals in the prevention and treatment of various diseases in a patient-centred manner
• can analyse problems relating to medicine administration, clinical pharmacy and other pharmaceutical services
• can discuss the causes of pharmaceutical variability in advanced pharmaceutical treatment at the individual and group levels
• can critically assess requirements for data collection and documentation of clinical studies of pharmaceuticals
• can assess pharmaceutical issues related to the administration of pharmaceuticals in intravenously
• can discuss the importance of how variations in health literacy influence different patients’ and user groups’ coping with disease, mastery and self-care
• can discuss the importance of the relationship between health economic principles and rational use of pharmaceuticals from an individual and societal perspective
• can analyse and discuss leadership and various leadership roles in pharmaceutical enterprises

Skills 

The student 

• can follow up patients using advanced pharmaceutical treatment at the individual and group levels for optimal pharmacotherapy
• can identify the causes of variability in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and propose solutions to advanced pharmacotherapy
• can elucidate issues related to advanced pharmacotherapy in special patient groups such as children, pregnant/breastfeeding women and elderly people
• can contribute advice on medicine administration and apply advanced pharmacotherapy in cooperation with health personnel, next of kin and patients
• can critically evaluate advanced pharmaceutical services that contribute to optimal pharmacotherapy and patient safety
• can analyse and take a critical approach to international research literature and different sources of information, and use them to formulate professional arguments in an independent manner
• can apply key statistical and epidemiological methods

General competence

The student 

• can evaluate and communicate pharmacy issues, analyses, research results and conclusions to other health personnel in a structured manner
• can communicate evidence-based knowledge to health personnel, pharmaceutical users and the general public
• can contribute to optimal pharmaceutical treatment for individual patients and groups of patients through interdisciplinary cooperation
• can contribute to interprofessional cooperation on new and innovative treatment options
• can apply their knowledge and skills in professional management
• can contribute to developing the field of pharmacy and the role of pharmacists in society and in international collaborations

Work and teaching methods include lectures and student-active seminars using the flipped classroom method, digital learning resources such as medical databases and reference works, and work on group-based case assignments.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam: 

• A minimum of 90 percent attendance at compulsory teaching activities
• Presentation of two case assignments in groups of 4-5 students

Individual oral exam, up to 30 min.

None

Grade scale A-F

All exams are assessed by an internal and an external examiner.

None.